Anniversaries are that time of the year when we hate to stay at home or work and go for a cliched dinner!!
And given the travel freaks we are, any occasion is an added excuse to head places!!
We just had two days in hand.. And Beach in mind..
I had heard a lot about the beaches of Coastal Karnataka specially Mangalore and its nearby beaches. Since two days were too less a time to explore Mangalore. We decided Beaches that were a little near. After much research, we went for Beaches in and around Udupi (the temple town of Karnakata about 400 km from Bangalore.
How we Reached: We boarded KSRTC Bus from Majestic around 9 pm on a Friday Night. (There are other bus services as well, but none is as punctual as this one ). The tickets costs around INR 950 – INR 1100.
Day 1: We reached Udupi around 6 in the morning. Hired a cab and headed Maravanthe Beach. This is a Beach near Kundapura, Karnataka, 55 kms from Udupi. The River Suparnika flows on one side of the road with the beach on the other, creating an amazing view. The river Souparnika, merges with Arabian Sea here, making a U turn and joining the Sea after a journey of more than 10 kms.
I was so engrossed in the beauty of the place that I hardly could capture few photos. The beach was pristine and empty. We walked along the lonely beach. Sounds of light ripples of water and a mild wind made the walk a beautiful one. After spending around an hour here, we headed for Malpe which was a 70 km drive from Maravanthe. Amazing would be an understatement to my first reaction when I first saw the beaches of Malpe. Here are some of my captures:
The accommodation is a bit of a problem here since there is only two or three hotels. We booked @Paradise Isle Beach Resort. An above average property with an average food and not so good service and a HORRIBLE SPA!! The best part about the hotel is their hospitality.
Since this was just a day’s stay, we did not bother much about the accommodation. We freshened up and went hunting for some sea side fish stalls. Spicy Fried Fish is a must have in sea side stalls of Malpe.
There are a few water sports which you may go for mornings or late afternoon. Para sailing, Jet Sking and some such. But safety of these sports is not guaranteed and it is totally dependent on weather conditions.
Post our lunch we headed for St. Mary’s Island. There are boats operating every 45 min from Malpe Beach to St Mary’s costs about INR 250 per person. The same boat will bring you back.
The Beauty of St. Mary’s Island is truly a treat to the eyes. Here’s a glimpse of what we experienced:
By the time we were back to Malpe it was approaching dusk. We decided to take a stroll by the beach and see sunset. Thank God we did this. Sunset in Malpe is BEAUTIFUL. And you have to see it to believe it!!
I have always been in love with evenings in the beach. Calm, Serene, sounds of waves splashing on the beach, endless stretch of darkness and all I prefer in such ambiance is silent walk along the beach, a wave or two washing my feet in intervals and perhaps I get to gather all my thoughts and have a clutter free mind.
We come back composed, sipped a beer or two in a small restaurant adjacent to the hotel, had a “Fishy” dinner and ended our day.
Day 2: Given the late riser I am, I yet again miss sunrise and all we do in the morning is take a walk down the beach, have a hot cup of tea and come back to the hotel for breakfast.
Around 1 pm after checking out of the hotel. We hired a cab to hop to our next Destination: Kaup Beach. It is a hamlet of Padu village about 12 kms south of Udupi on the coastal belt. Though it was very sunny but the beach still impressed us with its magnanimous light house, clean stretch of sand and a panoramic view of the sea. Its said that the beach is very risky, so one have to be very careful while going near the sea. We sat in a small shade and enjoyed the beauty of the empty beach.
Since we did not have much time in hand we couldn’t stay till sunset. But I have heard, this beach experiences one of the best sunset in the west coast. Better Luck Next time to us.
Back at Udupi, we spent the next couple of hours in strolling through the streets of Udupi, the temple town of Karnataka before we got into the bus and headed back to Bangalore.
Malpe and nearby beaches is a must on your bucket list if you love Beaches!! Go and Book N ow before the beaches loose their serenity and gets tainted by modernism!
One Earth Too Less 
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